Celebrate Christmas on Bridge Street

The holiday festivities will take place up and down Bridge Street in the heart of the city’s business district.

On Saturday, Christmas Designers began installing new holiday decorations on the historic pier clocktower and along Bridge Street. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Santa Claus will visit the businesses up and down street aboard his electric sled and participating retailers and food and beverage establishments will offer specials and special holiday activities.

This year’s musical roster includes Brigid’s Cross, Steve Arvey, Rebecca Bird and Deacon Gibson, with Arvey again serving as musical coordinator. As a new twist, the musicians will perform on a flatbed trailer that will provide music on the move at various locations along Bridge Street and beyond.

Students from the Manatee School of the Arts will also wander Bridge Street singing Christmas carols.

A cornhole tournament and children’s craft activities will take place in the parking lot at the historic Bridge Street Pier.

Bridge Street will look even more festive this year thanks to the new holiday decorations recently purchased by the Community Redevelopment Agency. The new decorations were manufactured and installed by Christmas Designers, the firm that does the elaborate holiday decorations along University Boulevard and at the University Town Center mall in Sarasota.

The new decorations supplement the decorations purchased in previous years by the Bridge Street Merchants and the merchants’ beautifully decorated Christmas tree that stands in the traffic circle at the east end of Bridge Street.